Foreclosure Leads to Possible Sale of Former Clarion Property in Columbus, Ohio

After acquiring the property through a foreclosure sale nearly seven years ago, Columbus Regional Health (CRH) has reached a preliminary agreement with a developer to sell the former site of the Clarion Hotel and Conference Center on the west side of the city.

According to CRH spokesperson Kelsey DeClue, the entity has signed a purchase offer agreement to sell the property located at 2480 W. Jonathon Moore Pike to Midland Atlantic Properties, a company with offices in Indianapolis and Cincinnati, which expressed interest in the property earlier this year. However, the sale, which is not yet finalized, may take several weeks or more to reach a final agreement due to pending due diligence and some legal procedures.

The due diligence process includes investigating the property and marketing it to potential tenants or other interested parties. Midland Atlantic Properties has listed the property on its website as available for lease or build-to-suit as part of this process.

To date, Midland Atlantic has not responded to any questions about its vision for the property but has marketed the site online as a mixed-use development zoned for retail, restaurant, entertainment, office, and hotel uses. A conceptual plan in the developer’s marketing materials shows four potential lots, including a 2.38-acre lot for retail-restaurant, two lots totaling approximately 9.74 acres for a mixed-use hotel, and a 4.49-acre lot for retail.

Jeff Bergman, the city and county planning director for Columbus, said that no site plans have been submitted to his office. The potential sale marks the latest development after CRH purchased the 20.7-acre property for $4.25 million and demolished the structure. The Clarion Hotel, with 253 guest rooms and a conference center for 1,000 people, was sold to CRH during a foreclosure sale after the owners defaulted on their debt.

In 2021, CRH partnered with Clearpath Services and another major firm to convert the site into a mixed-use development, retaining a parcel for hospital programs. And in an application filed in January 2022, the lot was described as a suitable location for a 100-room hotel, a medical center, 220 apartments, and a grocery store. However, except for the medical center, these plans were suspended in March 2022 after the developer withdrew.

Currently, it is unclear how much of the hospital system’s previous plans remain in effect.

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By Elias DaSilva | October 16, 2024.